The installations which are generally used for carrying out this type of treatment are generally in the form of continuous lines or of charge ovens in which the heating and thermochemical treatment are carried out within the same enclosure, the quenching being effected by immersion in a vat connected to the thermochemical treatment enclosure via a lock chamber or, the like. Generally, the parts to be treated are placed on plates, in baskets or on mats, and the disadvantage of this handling mode is that the supports for the parts represent easily up to 50% of the total charge of the oven.
In order to remedy the disadvantages met when using such known installations, the assignee of the present application has developed a rapid thermochemical treatment automated installation for parts, particularly for the mechanical industry, which has been the object of French patent No 86 01 13 published under No 2 594 102.
This automated installation includes a plurality of treatment modules for parts such as a preheating module, thermochemical treatment modules, a quenching module, loading means, unloading means and means for providing for the successive transfer of the parts to be treated to the various modules, this installation being characterized in that the parts which have to be treated are stacked into columns, which they are possibly separated by spacers, and in that said columns are delivered by a feeding means to a loading station, the column being then transferred to the first treatment module through a transfer lock chamber and a handling means.